World AIDS Day: Health Department Says 'Know Your Status'

WHEATON, IL — December 1 is World AIDS Day and the DuPage County Health Department is stressing the importance of knowing your HIV status by recommending that residents get tested. They urge that detecting HIV early is crucial to help treat the virus and to allow access to "life-extending treatments."

According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, there were 38 newly diagnosed cases of HIV in the county in 2015 and there has been a fairly steady increase of incidences since 2010.

This year's World AIDS Day theme is Increasing Impact through Transparency, Accountability, and Partnerships. Knowing your HIV status is crucial for transparency, as 40% of new HIV cases are transmitted by a partner who did not know they were HIV positive, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In its statement about World AIDS Day, the DuPage County Department of Health reminds residents that "HIV has not gone away-there is still a vital need to raise money, increase awareness, fight prejudice and improve education."

Getting tested for HIV can be as easy as buying a home test kit, going to your doctor, or going to the DuPage County Health Department's Sexually Transmitted Diseases Clinic. Residents can call the health department for more information on HIV testing at 630-682-7400.

>>Image credit: Getty Images/Justin Sullivan / Staff